Open town positions go unfilled

EXETER — Selectmen have opted not to fill two of five positions currently open in town.

Aaron Sanborn

EXETER — Selectmen have opted not to fill two of five positions currently open in town.

The decision comes as the Budget Recommendations Committee winds down its work with the budget and gets ready to hand the budget off to selectmen. The Budget Committee is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. today, Nov. 29 at the Town Offices.

There is a desire to cut to another $200,000 to $300,000 from the budget and it has reached a point where the board must start looking at personnel, according to Robert Aldrich, chairman of the Board of Selectmen.

"If we're really serious about personnel, I'd rather do it through open positions, rather than positions that are filled," Aldrich said.

The board voted not to fill an open patrol position in the Police Department and a heavy equipment operator position in the Department of Public Works, both positions had been vacant for about a year.

On a more strategic front, Aldrich suggested the board may want to consider bringing in a third party to assess the town as an organization from the ground up.

Someone who could look at how the town is staffed objectively to see if there are changes or savings to be had.

He said that is a topic that will be revisited.

Another subject that came up was the ongoing discussion about cost of living adjustments (COLA) for non-union employees.

The board previously decided against giving a (COLA) to the town 48 non-union employees but this a growing concern about the COLA inequity in town.

Aldrich noted that as part of approved union contracts both police and fire will be receiving a COLA.

Union employees with the Police Department are scheduled to receive a 3 percent COLA on Jan. 1. Union members of the Fire Department will get anywhere from a 2 percent to 5 percent COLA on July 1. The Department of Public Works union members in the middle of contract negotiations.

Aldrich said library employees are budgeted to receive a 4 percent COLA in 2012.

The board did not reconsider the decision of no COLA increase for non-union employees and is considering approaching the union groups to see if an agreement can be reached for some sort oh equity.

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